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• 11 • :aπWrone starting with scripture It should be clear by now that the aim of this book is to address the church with hard and critical questions about an extremely difficult subject. It is understandable if readers might feel a bit anxious about this at first and worry that someone might ask, “Who do you think you are? Who gave you the right to do this?” In response, I believe it is important to affirm that we do have the authority to undertake this bold venture. In fact, we have a mandate to do so—a mandate that comes directly from god. We do not need to devise new holy words or invent new teachings in order to claim religious authority to work against racism or any other form of injustice . Centrally placed within the Holy Scriptures is an indelible foundational message of god’s intention for justice and peace for all humanity. The Bible and the historic Christian faith call the church and all Christians to take a stand uncompromisingly against the evil of racism and for the equality and unity of all humankind. We need to place our efforts to understand and eliminate racism in church and society squarely in the context of these teachings, allowing them to become our essential tools and primary guides in understanding racism and how it can be brought to an end. If we do not do this, but attempt instead to reflect on racism and work to end racism without the support of our beliefs and our faith, we risk making our faith irrelevant to matters most central to our lives. On the other hand, if we do take our faith with us on this journey, we will not only have “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” —Matthew 24:35 setting the Biblical Context: Reclaiming an Anti-Racist Gospel 12 • BeCoMInG An AntI-RACIst CHURCH authority and guidance, but we will be affirmed and strengthened to go places where we otherwise may not have the courage to go. To help us begin thinking theologically and biblically about racism, I offer four principles concerning how the Bible and our faith can guide us. These are foundation stones upon which to build a biblically supported analysis of racism. Throughout the book, I will expand on these and invite you to add your own examples, images, and insights: 1. We are the family of god. 2. The inseparability of Jesus and justice. 3. Taking back stolen sacred stories. 4. We are called and carried on the shoulders of witnesses who struggled before us. These four foundation stones represent the clear understanding of the Bible and the Christian faith that the whole human family is created by god to exist in unity and equality, and they represent a clear judgment that any violation of god’s intentions, including racism, is a sin against both god and humanity. The scriptural message of god’s intervention and redemption is an invitation and a command to us today to repent of our divisions, to be forgiven, restored, and empowered to rebuild god’s human family on the basis of unity, love, and justice. Let’s look at each of these foundation stones more closely. foundation stone 1: We are the family of God. god created us to be family, and, by virtue of god’s creation, we are all sisters and brothers. This may sound like an obvious statement that everyone agrees with, but, in fact, it is a very radical statement that establishes the primary rationale and motivation for working against racism. This message is central to the Bible, from genesis, the first book, to Revelation, the last. god is our Creator/Parent, and therefore all human beings are sisters and brothers in a common family. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a god-given relationship every human being shares.1 This familial relationship is indelible. Our sisterhood and brotherhood in the family of god is imprinted in our hearts, minds, and souls. It is part of our spiritual DNA. We did not choose it and we cannot choose to undo it. We may love it, we may hate it, we may protest it, or we may ignore it. But the truth is, regardless of our color—red, brown, yellow, black, or white—we are all in the family for good. The reason it is so important to emphasize this first theological principle is that racism and all forms of injustice seek...

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